


Home

by NerdyMama



Series: Changes [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Growing Up, Home, Moving, One-Sided Attraction, failing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23965450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyMama/pseuds/NerdyMama
Summary: A friendship blossoms. A journey is undertaken.
Series: Changes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727812
Kudos: 33





	Home

Eight year old Sonia Magnolia sits cross-legged on her grandparent’s armchair and sighs as she watches her grandfather bring in her belongings to take up into her room – her new room.

She’s fed up and more bored than she’d ever been in her life. She wishes she was back in Orre. Granted, the nearest town, Wedgehurst, doesn’t seem to be much more of a bustling setting than Agate Village was so at least she doesn’t have to worry about a massive change in environment… but her friends are in Agate Village, and she doubts Wedgehurst has anything quite as beautiful as the Relic Forest. There had always been stories of how the legendary Pokémon Celebi resided there, purifying Pokémon who’s souls had been sealed off by darkness. Galar most likely doesn’t have anything like that. If it does, at least it might be more interesting and she maybe won’t resent moving here quite as much as she does at present.

She sees her Gran putting up a framed photograph on the wall – one with her parents sitting side by side holding a baby with a few wisps of red hair in a pink dress (her). She doesn’t feel anything when she sees it – she never knew her parents since they died in an accident when she was younger. She doesn’t know the details – her Gran refuses to talk about it and Granddad won’t mention it either. All she knows is that she spent her whole life being raised by her grandparents. Normally that fact doesn’t bother her but now she’s starting to wonder if life would have been different if they were still around. She’d probably still be in Agate, for a start, because it wouldn’t have mattered that Gran had found an interesting new topic of study. It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d decided to become the official professor of Galar so she could explore said topic.

But her parents are gone and Gran is her guardian, so it does matter. She’s been uprooted away from everything she’s ever known and she hates it.

“Sonia dear, don’t forget to set the clock in your room,” Gran reminds her and she nods with a discreet roll of her eyes, reluctantly gets to her feet and trudges up to her new room. No doubt Gran’s way of trying to get her to take an interest in her new surroundings.

Granddad is there and he smiles at her when he sees her and she can’t help but try to smile back. He’s not her real grandfather, not biologically, but he’s always been there, even when her mother was small, so as far as she’s concerned he’s her Granddad, and he’s always known how to make her smile even when she doesn’t feel like smiling.

“Hi there, sweetheart,” he says softly, “What do you think?”

She takes a quick look around – the room is decorated in pink, her favourite colour, so she can appreciate the fact that he’s trying to make this transition easy for her, but it doesn’t change the fact that this doesn’t feel like her room. Her room in Agate is larger and has a built in wardrobe.

She wrinkles her nose, “It’s small.”

Granddad chuckles, “I’m afraid you’ll just have to get used to it, darling.”

“Gran asked me to set my clock.”

“Here you go,” he hands her a wall clock (pink, of course), “It’s currently two in the afternoon.”

It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like it should be ten o’clock in the morning but she sets the clock to the time Granddad tells her anyway.

“I want to go home,” she grumbles.

“We are home, Sonia,” he pats her head affectionately, “This must be a lot for you to take in, but I promise you it’ll be alright, princess. I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends.”

“I doubt it.”

Granddad doesn’t falter, if anything his grin gets wider as he pulls her into a hug and kisses her forehead, “You will, sweetie. I know you will.”

* * *

School isn’t fun.

For one, the whole system is completely different than what it is in Orre. Kids are broken up into primary and secondary schools, with children aged four to ten attending primary like she is, and secondary being for older children anywhere between eleven and sixteen – if they don’t decide to ditch school in favour of going for something called the Galar Gym Challenge, which initially she has no idea about because Orre has nothing like that. Sure, there were Pokémon trainers there, from as young as ten to as old as a hundred, but no sort of challenge. But the point remains, she had to get used to a whole new education system and not only that, she’s more advanced than her peers.

Which brings her onto the second reason she doesn’t like school: the kids. Because she’s ahead of them on the curriculum and because she’s come from another part of the world with no idea of Galarian traditions, a significant group of them didn’t hesitate to start being jerks to her. She’s called a host of unpleasant names, from ‘smarty pants’ to ‘ginger skank’. She hears “go back to where you came from” a lot (and many times she wants to retort that she would if she could). She’s followed into the shops by a group of girls when she goes to spend her pocket money and while they don’t rob her, they make snide remarks while acting like she can’t hear them. She’s had paint chucked on her, Nickit droppings thrown at her and kicks aimed at her.

She wants to go back home. Her _real_ home, in Agate Village. She has friends there and even those who aren’t friends with her are nice and not brats.

She _will_ give school credit though. She learns that Galar does have a place like the Relic Forest – a little place by the village just south of Wedgehurst called the Slumbering Weald. Heck, there’s even tales that claim legendary Pokémon live there and her curiosity is piqued. When she asks her classmates about it, most of them start laughing and jeering at her so she doesn’t bother with them again. She asks Gran but she gets nowhere with her – just a warning not to go wandering off and getting herself lost. Her teachers don’t even really have any answers for her, only telling her that nobody goes into the Slumbering Weald because it’s not safe.

But she can’t get the thought out of her head that maybe this could be like the Relic Forest, where she’s spent so many hours of her life looking at the ruins and dipping her toes into the stream. A place where she feels safe.

So she makes up her mind. She’s going to go into the Slumbering Weald.

* * *

The following Saturday she sets out from her home in Route 2, her hair tied back and wrapped in her warm waterproof coat . She told her Gran she was going to the shops to spend her pocket money and she didn ’t question it – Sonia’s done this every Saturday for as long as she can remember, even back in Orre. She stays out of the tall grass – something she’s gotten quite adept at – and eventually arrives in Wedgehurst.

She pops into the shops to buy some sweets, because at least then if Gran asks the shopkeeper if he’s seen her then he can answer in the positive. Then she heads towards her Gran’s workplace which she’s only been to a couple of times and checks the map she’s got stuffed in her pocket to make sure she’s headed in the right way. She needs to keep heading down towards Route 1, so she does and she’s relieved that it’s easier to navigate than Route 2, with significantly less tall grass. She catches sight of a few Pokémon on her way up though, including several Wooloo, which she admits are cute but she can’t see herself keeping one.

The village south of Wedgehurst - Postwick - is a nice little place. Probably a little closer in atmosphere to Agate Village, if only because it’s so small and quiet. She wishes they’d moved here instead, not that it’d feel much better for her. It’s still not Agate.

Eventually she sees a dark forest looming ahead and she almost hesitates, but she’s determined so she keeps pressing on until she reaches the edge of the Weald. There’s a closed gate blocking her way but she’s able to climb over it without much difficulty and now the Slumbering Weald right in front of her. There’s definitely a feeling of intimidation as she glances up at the tall trees, but there’s something oddly beautiful about it too and she takes another step towards it.

“You’re not allowed to go in there,” she hears a young voice call out and she turns in surprise to see a dark-skinned young boy with golden eyes and messy purple hair covered by a Charmander cap wearing a sports shirt and shorts. His hands are in his pockets and he’s smiling cheekily.

She licks her lips nervously, “How long have you been standing there?”

“Only a bit,” he shrugs as he climbs over the fence himself, “I saw you going that way so thought I’d make sure you were okay.”  
  
She narrows her eyes, as she’s able to recognize him a little now, “I’ve seen you at school.”

“Yeah,” he runs a hand through his hair, “You’re the new girl that came from Orre. Sonia, right?”

“Are you here to make fun of me? Or are you going to grass me up to my gran?”

“No,” he shakes his head erratically, “But if I were you I wouldn’t head in there, it’s really not safe.”

She glances back at the Weald before looking at the boy again, “Have you been in there?”

“I tried to once, but my mum dragged me back home,” he chuckles, “Got a right earful for it too.”

“Do you know what’s in there?”

“No one knows, not really,” he shrugs again, “I’ve always been told that there’s some crazy strong Pokémon living there. I’d like to see ‘em but mum would be upset with me so…”

Sonia has an idea and it’s probably a stupid one, but she’ll give it a go anyway, “What if she doesn’t know?”

He grins wildly, “Well then, guess that means I can come and protect you since you’re probably not going to go home.”

“Okay, but don’t mess me about. And if I hear one insult out of your mouth I’ll hit you.”

He holds out his hand to her, “I won’t. I’m not like them. My name’s Leon, by the way. Leon Hayes.”

* * *

Of course Gran found out about her little excursion into the Slumbering Weald and after a very long lecture, she was spanked for the first time in a long time. It wasn’t pleasant, but still, it was worth it. Sort of. Not so much for the Weald itself – it was beautiful but it didn’t seem to have anything special either which would make her want to go back. She also couldn’t go too far in because there were wild Pokémon everywhere.

She’s made a friend, or at least she thinks she has. Leon is a sweet boy, though chatty and egotistical and he seems to have a hero complex judging by how determined he was to stay ahead of her while they were in the Weald. He asks her about Orre and seems to take a genuine interest when she tells him about her friends and the Relic Forest. In return, he gives her a rundown of Galarian traditions and even explains what the Gym Challenge is all about rather enthusiastically, going as far as to claim that one day he would be the Champion of Galar.

It’s a dream, alright. _At least he has one,_ she thinks.

“Maybe when we’re both ten, we could both go on the Gym Challenge together!” he says one day eagerly, “Every good trainer needs a rival! You could be mine!”

She shrugs, “I don’t know about that. I’ve… not got much experience with Pokémon. Wild Pokémon never really came close to the village back ho-, I mean back in Orre.”

“I’ll bet you could learn really fast though!” he insists, “I mean, you _are_ really smart.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she mumbles, embarrassed.

“No problem, we’re friends aren’t we?”

She blinks in surprise, “Are we?”

His smile is wide as he replies without hesitation, “Yeah! Of course!”

* * *

One thing she’s glad about is that now she has Leon as a friend the bullying from the other kids at school seems to have died down significantly. Turns out Leon’s quite popular so if the weird new girl is his friend then that means she can’t be all bad and that perhaps calling her a ‘foreign ginger minger’ shouldn’t be on the cards any more. So school’s improved in that regard. Not that she’ll be there for much longer if Leon has his way – he still wants to take the Galar Gym Challenge and he’s determined that she goes too.

She’s thinking that she might. It can’t hurt because at least she’ll be with someone she knows and not left to the mercy of the nastier brats who choose to go to secondary school. But she’ll need a Pokémon first and none of the three starters in Galar take her fancy. They’re cute, definitely, but not for her.

“I want a Charmander, if I can, since mum says they’re allowed in Galar even if they can’t be found wild here,” Leon tells her, “But if I have to have a Galarian starter, then I’ll probably pick Scorbunny since, you know, fire type, which is close enough.”

“I don’t know what I’d pick,” she murmurs, fiddling with some of her red hair.

“You could probably rock a Sobble,” he suggests, “I mean, it’s cute and you like cute things.”

She shakes her head, “No. I think… well, there is _one_ Pokémon I like…”

He sits up straight, clearly interested, “What one? Wooloo? My family breed Wooloo so I can get you one real easy.”

“No,” she blushes, “I like those cute little yellow puppy Pokémon that I see sometimes on my way back home from school. I can’t remember what they’re called.”

“Oh, you mean Yamper?”

“I think that’s the one.”

He leans back again with a wide grin, “You know, I can see you with a Yamper, they’re pretty cute and tough. It’d suit you!”

She blinks, feeling a little taken aback, “Are you saying I’m cute?”

“No!” he blurts out, his cheeks beginning to turn pink and she can’t help but stifle a giggle because he’s funny when he’s flustered, “I didn’t mean that, I-”

She pushes him playfully, “Oh chill out, _dandelion_.”

* * *

On the weekend following his ninth birthday she brings him a Charmander hoodie. She would have brought it earlier but they’re not allowed to bring birthday gifts to each other in school, and despite it being the summer his birthday still _just_ falls in to the school term.

She’s greeted at the door by his mum. She seems a little worried, “Oh Sonia dear, it’s good to see you.”

“Where’s Leon?”

“In his room. I must warn you, he’s not in a brilliant mood,” she looks a little guilty but Sonia cannot place why.

Maybe she should leave then, “Oh. Shall I go home then?”

His mum starts to smile hopefully, “Oh, no, please do come in. You might be just the thing to cheer him up. He always lights up when he sees you.”

She’s flattered but before she can say anything else his mum is ushering her in. She catches sight of Leon’s toddler brother in the living room playing with a Wooloo plush toy, using it to knock down blocks and laughing. She can’t help but smile at the sight. She’s always wondered what it would have been like to have a little brother or sister.

She makes her way up to Leon’s room to find him sprawled out on his bed. He looks frustrated and upset, something she’s never really seen before because this boy is usually so bouncy and cheerful, sometimes to the point of being obnoxious.

She decides to break the silence, “Hey, you. Happy belated birthday.”

He glances up at her and gives a small smile, “Oh. Hi.”

She walks in slowly, and holds out the wrapped hoodie which he takes hesitantly. She’s a little confused because this is _definitely_ not like him. He doesn’t even unwrap the present with his usual enthusiasm and when he sees the hoodie he just says a quiet “thank you.”

“Gran helped me order it online,” she says proudly, but he just nods, which makes her pout, “Don’t you like it?”

“No! I love it! I just…” he hesitates, running his fingers along the hoodie’s fabric like it’s providing him comfort, “I thought that my dad might have come back today.”

“Oh,” she hasn’t heard much about this. Leon’s dad is not often a topic of conversation since he doesn’t really like talking about him. She knows that he went to Unova a couple of years back, supposedly to take part in the Pokémon League over there, but she has her doubts because she hasn’t heard of anyone with the last name ‘Hayes’ taking part in the League over there, and she doubts he has either, given how avidly he follows these sorts of things, “Did he say he was going to?”

“No,” he mumbles, fidgeting slightly, “Mum hasn’t said anything either.”

She doesn’t know what to say but she thinks about her friends back in Agate Village, and how they’d promised to call her. They did at first but the calls tapered off and now when she calls she gets no reply bar from their mums telling her they weren’t home or they didn’t want to talk. She hasn’t heard from them in months now. She still feels upset about it sometimes, but being with Leon makes her feel better.

Maybe she can make him feel better.

So she sits next to him and holds out her arms, “Can I hug you?”

He flushes slightly, “Why?”

She rolls her eyes like the answer should be the most obvious thing in the world, “Because you’re my best friend and I want to make you feel better.”

He raises an eyebrow, clearly shocked, “ _I’m_ your best friend?”

“Well, yeah,” she shrugs, “Someone has to be, don’t they?”

He laughs and she can’t help but smile as he throws his arms around her.

* * *

When she turns ten (on the actual day of her birthday as it’s a weekend), he arrives on her doorstep with a stupidly wide grin on her face and his arms behind his back.

“I’ve got something really cool for you,” he teases, “But you have to close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“Come inside first. Gran will moan that I’m letting all the cold air in.”

He does so, and Granddad greets him as he walks by, a strange knowing look in his eyes. Leon grins, hands still behind his back, “Well then, close your eyes!”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Come on Son, _pleeaase!_ ”

She pokes her tongue out at him, “Make me.”

“I can’t, because then it won’t be a surprise any more! Pretty please?” he pouts and she rolls her eyes. Sometimes, though she’d never tell him because he might take it the wrong way, he can be really cute.

She lets out a sigh and closes her eyes, only to feel him pressing a round object into her hands and she feels her breath catch in her throat because he _couldn’t_ have gotten her what she thinks he’s gotten her, could he?  
  
“You can open your eyes now.”

She does and glances down to see a Poké Ball.

“You…”

“Well, you’re old enough to be a trainer officially now!” he’s grinning wildly, looking very pleased with himself.

“But which one is it?”

“See for yourself!”

She opens the ball and a flash of light almost blinds her before disappearing and a tiny Yamper is sat in front of her with its tongue hanging out and its tail wagging.

“You caught me a _Yamper?_ ” she squeaks and she almost wants to cry, “But… _how?_ You’re not old enough to catch any Pokémon! You’re not ten until July!”

He runs a hand through his hair, blushing furiously, “Well, technically I asked mum to catch it with one of her Wooloo, so if you want to get technical, _she’s_ the one who did it… but it was _my_ idea!” he puffs his chest out proudly, “Your Gran and Granddad know all about it so you won’t get told off or anything unless you’re _really_ careless and let it poop on the carpet or something.”

She can’t help herself: she throws her arms around him and blurts out countless gratitudes.

She’s glad she moved here.

* * *

Gran invites Leon to the lab about a month after his tenth birthday and a month before they’re due to begin their Gym Challenge, saying that she has something for him. He thinks he’s coming to pick a Galarian starter since he seems to assume Charmander isn’t going to be an option, and she’s going to sign their endorsement letters given that he’s spent pretty much every fortnight when he’s round for tea at hers begging her to endorse them when the time came.

Sonia’s bobbing up and down in excitement because she can’t _wait_ to see the look on his face when he sees what Gran’s got for him. Her little Yamper is chewing on one of his many toys by her feet, so she tries not to jump up in case she accidentally startles him and gets another electric shock.

She hears his voice loudly calling through the door as he lets himself in without knocking, “Hello?”

“Ah, Leon,” Gran smiles thinly, “I’m sure you know why you’re here.”

He bounds up to them, breathless but still wearing that wide smile and clearly radiating with excitement, “Yeah, I’m going to pick my starter, right?”

“Well, there’s that and the matter of signing yours and Sonia’s endorsement letters ready for next month.”

He bounces up and down and Sonia can’t help but giggle, “I already know what I want,” he says eagerly, “If I have to choose one of the three starters, I’m gonna go with Scorbunny!”

Gran’s lip curls, “Are you quite sure? Because I’ve had a rather special Pokémon sent over to me from my good friend Professor Oak in Kanto with the intention of you raising it.”

He looks confused for a moment, but then his mouth drops open in realization, “Do you mean-?”

Gran smiles one of her rare smiles as she hands him a Poké Ball, “See for yourself.”

He opens it and the blinding light which Sonia has become familiar with thanks to Yamper shines throughout the room and dissipates to reveal a small orange Pokémon with a flame on its tail.

_A Charmander._

Leon’s jaw is still hanging open as he gazes at the little Pokémon with nothing less than shock and joy in his eyes.

“Your mother is already aware,” Gran says warmly, “So long as you are mindful of that live flame, there should be no issues.”

“I think he’s forgotten how to talk, Gran,” Sonia pipes up cheekily as Leon lets out a cry of joy and scoops the little lizard into his arms.

* * *

“Have you never set up a tent before?” he asks her with a chuckle as he finishes setting up his tent on their first night in the Wild Area. Their Pokémon are in the distance, chasing each other while letting out yips, yelps and chirps of joy.

She pokes her tongue out at him in reply, and he laughs, running a hand through his hair again, “Sorry. Do you want me to help you?”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” she grumbles.

“Are you _still_ bitter that we beat you?” he asks, raising an eyebrow as he sets to work on her tent.

“No,” she huffs, though that’s not entirely true – she _is_ still a little sore about that, “Just… I know I could have done better.”

“You put up a good fight, if that helps,” he offers and it doesn’t help much but she at least appreciates that he’s trying to make her feel better about it, “Rookidee’s got some good moves on it and Yamper’s a tough little guy.”

“Still no match for Charmander, though.”

“Well, if I’m gonna be Champion one day, I’ll need to make sure he’s in top shape,” he exclaims, freeing up a hand to pat his partner on its head, “We’re going all the way to the top, Charmander and me. Nobody’s going to stop us!”

She puffs her cheeks out and makes a motion with her hands to suggest his head’s swelling.

He bursts out laughing.

* * *

When she’s standing on that field in Motostoke her stomach fills with anxiety. She feels like a fraud. She’s battled Leon three times while they were travelling across the Wild Area and while she’s come close to beating him each time, he always ultimately claims victory.

She shakily takes a step forward and lifts her hand, wanting nothing more than to run back out to a place where there are no cameras on her. She wonders if they’ve started airing shows and events outside of Orre in her former home and if so, if her former friends are watching her. Or if they’d even care.

She feels a soft hand envelop hers and she turns to see Leon grinning at her as he lifts both of their hands above their heads.

It definitely makes her feel more confident.

* * *

In Turrfield, she runs through her team before she takes on the first Gym.

“Okay, Rookidee, I think I’ll lead with you,” she muses thoughtfully over the camp fire, “Then Vulpix can take over if it gets too much.”

Rookidee and Vulpix coo and yip in agreement while Yamper sprawls out across her lap, tongue hanging out and barking as if to ask what role he’ll be playing in the upcoming battle. Sonia glances down at him sadly, “This is a Grass-type Gym, Yamper. You’ll probably have to take a back seat on this one,” the little puppy Pokémon quietens and looks disappointed, “But the next Gym is a Water-type Gym so you’ll probably be my biggest hitter there.”

Yamper perks up, barking again in joy, as it rushes to play with her newly caught Milcery.

“Sorting out what you’re going to do?” she hears a voice ask and she rolls her eyes as Leon emerges in front of her, smiling as usual.

She frowns, “I take it you won?”

“Of course, Grass types are no match for Charmeleon!” he pulls out the medal and shows her that he’s filled in the first piece.

“He’ll be no use in the next Gym though,” she reminds him and he nods in agreement.

“Yeah, I’m not sure what I’m going to go with,” he mutters, “I’ve got a definite plan for the Fire gym but as far as the Water Gym goes, I haven’t got any obvious options.”

“Yamper’s looking pretty good now, isn’t it?”

“I never said it was bad, just that I didn’t want to raise one myself,” he chews his lip, “Don’t want to make it seem like I’m copying you. If I end up going with an electric type then maybe I wouldn’t object to a Toxel.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be hard to raise?”

He shrugs, “I don’t know, but I’m always up for a challenge.”

“Don’t I know it?” she rolls her eyes.

“So… what curry are you making tonight?” he asks and suddenly she knows why he’s still hanging around (not counting the fact that he probably wants her to help him find Hulbury because goodness knows he’ll never find it by himself).

“Sausage curry,” she replies as she begins fishing out her ingredients ready to start cooking, “Why? Do you want some?”

“Do you even have to ask? You make the _best_ curries,” he plonks himself down on the grassy floor with a contented sigh and lets out his Pokémon – Charmeleon, Tympole and Axew. It seems like he hasn’t caught any new Pokémon since leaving the Wild Area. Axew in particular had been a lucky catch as the poor little thing had gotten washed up on the shore from an island called Axew’s Eye, having been abandoned by her family. Leon had felt bad for her and after nursing her back to health, she’d decided to tag along with him.

She sets about preparing the curry, watching him play with his Pokémon out of the corner of her eye, “What about Gossifleur?”

“What?”

“For the next Gym,” she says like it’s obvious, “Grass-types are good against Water-types.”

“Well yeah,” he wrinkles his nose, “But I’m not sure.”

“Too girly for you?” she teases and he flushes when he blurts out “no!”

“Well, you haven’t got a lot of other options,” she says, “I think Applin can be found on Route 5. They’re part Grass-type too.”

“I’ve already got a perfectly good dragon,” he pats Axew on her head and she coos pleasantly, “Nah, it’ll be fine. Axew resists water so I’m sure with some extra training she can pull it off.”

“Doesn’t hurt to have a back-up plan in place, though.”

“I know, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m going to be the next Champion, remember?”

“Yeah,” she sighs impatiently, “I know.”

* * *

“So how’d it go?” he asks after she finally beats the third Gym Leader after a very rough, gruelling match that she was almost certain she was going to lose at some point.

“It went alright, I guess,” she mumbles, “You weren’t watching?”

“Sorry, I kind of got carried away with training,” he rubs his head awkwardly, “But I’ll watch your next Gym match, I promise!”

“Caught anything new?” she asks him, only for him to shake his head which makes her sigh loudly, “If you want to be Champion you’ll have an easier time if you’re not just using three Pokémon.”

“I know, that’s why when we go back to the Wild Area I plan on catching some more. I have some ideas on what I’d like to try out.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

He taps his nose with a cheeky grin, “I can’t tell you _that,_ I want it to be a surprise for my rival!”

“You’ll still beat me even if I know what they are.”

“Probably, but still, let me have this?”

“Fine,” she huffs and after a moment of silence she grins, “But if you want it to be a secret then once you’ve caught them you’ll have to battle me, or else no curry for you.”

“Consider it done,” he laughs, “Now, err… once your team’s all healed up, can we head over to the Wild Area together?”

She raises an eyebrow, “You’ve forgotten how to get there, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” he blushes. He’s never been any good with directions. She’s lost count of how many times he’s backtracked to where she is to ask her what way he needs to go to get to the next Gym. _Some Champion he’s going to be. I bet he won’t even be able to find Wyndon on a map,_ she thinks.

She lets out an exasperated sigh, “Fine. You’re lucky I like having you around.”

* * *

She doesn’t know how she managed to get past the fourth Gym – which specializes in Flying types – but it’s a sigh of relief nonetheless. She’s starting to feel out of her depth just a little bit. Luckily, the Pangoro she caught in the Wild Area just about came through with a Rock Slide after poor Yamper ended up being taken out a lot earlier than she’d hoped he would.

Most of her Pokémon have fully evolved now, though Yamper seems to be stubborn. Every time he comes close to evolving he seems to tense up until the process halts and then he passes out on the ground, exhausted. She ended up broaching the subject with the nurse at a Pokémon Centre who suggested that perhaps her cute little pup didn’t want to evolve. It meant he wouldn’t be as strong, which is no doubt why he couldn’t quite handle the fourth Gym as well as she thought he might, but she’s fine about it overall. He’s not just her Pokémon, he’s her friend, and she wants him to be happy, so she's given him an Everstone and there's been no concerns with him since.

Leon, on the other hand, is blazing through the Gyms without any difficulty and it seems like the Galarian press have finally taken notice of him. It’s a bit of a downside though as now, because she’s his rival, the press are interested in her and she wishes they weren’t. She can’t match up to him. She still hasn’t beaten him, and she doesn’t even come close like she used to back when they first started out. It’s like he’s found his rhythm and if he keeps it up, heck, he might _just_ end up becoming Champion after all.

She finds said Champion prospect in the Glimmering Tangle, clearly lost. _To be fair to him, this is a forest,_ she reasons, _but this is a good opportunity to mess with him._

She sneaks up behind him and throws her arms around his shoulders with a loud “BOO!”

“Sonia!” he yelps in fright, “Don’t _do_ that!”

“Why not?”

“There are _ghosts_ here.”

“I thought ghosts didn’t bother you,” she rests her hands on her hips while Yamper yips and jumps up at him demanding to be pet, “I mean, you have a _Honedge_ for Arceus’ sake.”

“They don’t bother me,” he says, “But you might frighten them.”

“Me, frighten a _ghost?_ I doubt it, I mean look at me. Anyway, there are more fairies in this forest than anything else.”

“Yeah, but they love that sort of thing,” he replies, “Especially the Impidimps and Morgrems. They’ve already caught me off guard a couple of times.”

“Wish I’d have seen that,” she giggles before she spots something in the grass which makes her gasp, “What’s _that?”_

Then she’s tearing off and Leon’s shouting after her as she ventures into some tall grass, Yamper scampering at her heels, with her Pokédex. Eventually she stops close by and observes what she was looking at – a Pokémon in the shape of a… tea cup? From a distance she was sure it couldn’t have been a tea cup but there it was, and she has to fight back a giggle.

“Son, don’t wander off!” Leon whines as he catches up to her, “I don’t know my way around, it all looks the same in here!”

She hushes him and points to the tea cup Pokémon with her Pokédex which tells her it’s a Sinistea. _Oh, Gran would love this._ _She’s always been obsessed with tea._ She makes up her mind and readies a Great Ball in her hand while Leon, realizing what she’s up to, steps back quietly and whispers, “You can do it, Son!”

She smiles back at him softly before turning back to her target.

“Go, Yamper!” she instructs and the little puppy leaps into action.

* * *

She lost.

After all the training she’s done in the Glimmering Tangle, after getting all of Opal’s questions right in her quiz and even during the match, it still wasn’t enough. Corviknight simply couldn’t stand up to the might of Opal’s Alcremie and the rest of her team fell equally as fast.

Leon is waiting for her outside, cheerily optimistic as always, “Hey, it’s okay! You can always go for a rematch. I don’t mind waiting.”

“No,” she says, and it’s one thing she’s sure of. She’s been feeling inadequate about this for some time now, like it’s not what she really wants to be doing. The travelling is enjoyable, but the battling isn’t for her, “I think I’m going to call it quits.”

 _“What?”_ Leon’s mouth hangs open and he looks so disappointed that she finds it hard to look at him, “But come on, Son! You’re my rival! Who else is going to push me to my limits?”

“I haven’t been pushing you to your limits for ages,” she snaps and he seems taken aback, “That Raihan kid you've met seems to be doing a better job of that.”

“But Son-”

“Please, Leon. Just drop it. I’ve made up my mind.”

He falls silent and she can’t bear to look at him, can’t bear to see him so disappointed, but then he’s looking up at her with a hopeful look, “Will you still travel with me at least?”

She smiles shyly, “Sure. After all, if you’re going to be Champion you’ll need to actually make it to Wyndon Stadium. Goodness knows you won’t find it on your own.”

“And can I have some of your curries every night?” he pleads, hands pressed together and giving her one of those looks that she usually has a hard time saying no to.

She manages to let out a snort of derision, “What am I? Your slave?”

* * *

Leon thrashes the rest of the Gyms, and she isn’t even remotely surprised. She also manages to watch a couple of Leon’s matches with that Raihan kid and he’s _good_ , almost as good as Leon is. Though he doesn’t seem to pay any notice to her, and why would he? She’s not a competitor any more. She never really was to begin with, after seeing them battle. Leon and Raihan are way out of her league.

When they finally reach Wyndon Stadium even she has to fight to stop her jaw from hitting the floor because it’s _huge._

“This is it, Son!” he bounces up and down while Charizard lets out a growl behind him, “Our destiny awaits!”

“Yeah,” she mumbles, “Just…” she turns to face him, “If you do become Champion, promise you won’t forget about me?”

He laughs, “What kind of question is that? I could never forget about my best mate!”

She can’t help doubting his words.

* * *

He wins, to everyone’s surprise, because nobody has ever seen a ten year old in Galar snatch victory from the toughest trainer in the region – a man named Mustard. She sees the Chairman of the Pokémon League walk over the pitch, hears him announcing the shocking victory of this wonderful ten year old, labelling him a prodigy as he lifts the boy's arms above his head and congratulates him.

She sees one of the other competitors, a girl two years older than her who made it to the semi-finals only to lose to Raihan (Nessa, she thinks they said her name was), smile slightly with pointed teeth before she turns to her, “He’s your friend, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” she says, her voice wobbly because of a part of her still doesn’t believe that he’s actually done it.

“He’s a good trainer,” she tells her, “Wish I’d have gotten a chance to battle him.”

“Well, there’s always next year,” she mumbles. _Not that I’ll be there. I’ll probably have to go back to school then._

“My name’s Nessa by the way,” she extends her hand to her, “What’s yours?”

“Sonia.”

“Nice to meet you, I heard you were Leon’s rival for a time.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t good enough,” she shrugs, “It’s not for me anyhow, the battling thing. I think… I don’t know what I want to do now.”

“You have talent, that's for sure, but you give up a little bit too quickly. Then again, I imagine it's not easy being the granddaughter of Magnolia,” says a voice behind her and she turns, startled, to see Opal sitting there, looking tired yet still well-poised.

She doesn’t say anything. She can’t because it’s all true. It _isn’t_ easy being the granddaughter of a Professor who did a lot of wonderful well-known work in Orre before becoming famous in Galar for the same reason.

It does bring up something in her mind that she hadn’t considered.

Gran is going to be so disappointed in her.

* * *

Two years pass since he’s become Champion and things are starting to suck again. The fact that she’s the Champion’s best friend means nothing to the remaining brats at her secondary school. The fact that she gave up and that she’s a failure of a trainer, on the other hand, is a regular subject of their taunting, along with the fact that she doesn’t really see Leon much any more. They chat over the phone in the evenings, but he’s lucky if he can even spare her an hour because he’s either being mentored by the former Champion or he’s being dragged to interviews, photo shoots or goodness knows what else by the chairman of the League, who seems determined to dominate as many hours of her friend’s life as possible.

Still, at least she gets this time with him.

One day when he calls her with video turned on she notices his eyes, more clearly than she’s ever noticed them before. That’s when she starts to notice that she’s feeling differently about him.

But she won’t act on it. He’s her best friend and a Champion on top of that. She won’t ruin that, not for anything.

What would he like about someone like her anyway?

* * *

Leon’s time is becoming more and more consumed and by the time she’s sixteen there’s no word from him at all any more. No matter how much she calls or leaves messages on his social media, he never replies.

She’s sure of it now. He’s broken his promise and forgotten her.

She wants to be angry at him. She _is_ angry with him.

* * *

When she’s seventeen she catches a train to Motostoke, but not to take part in that year's Gym Challenge. It’s not for another two months anyway. She still makes her way to the Gym though and upon talking to a staff member there, she is guided into Gym Leader Kabu’s office and a few moments later he arrives with a towel draped around his shoulders and looking tired.

“Ah yes, I remember you,” he says softly, “Professor Magnolia’s granddaughter. What can I help you with?”

She runs her fingers over the Poké Ball in her bag before pulling it out and handing it to him. He raises an eyebrow at her, “What’s this?”

“My Ninetales,” she mumbles, “I… I’m not really a trainer any more and I’ve been holding onto her for far longer than I should have. She deserves better. She deserves a trainer that will help her be as strong as she can be.”

He frowns, “Are you sure? From what I’ve heard she’s quite attached to you.”

She nods, “I’m sure. I’ve talked about it a lot and… I think she agrees it’s for the best. She wants to be stronger and she loves battling, but I can’t give her that any more. I just want what’s best for her.”

“I see,” he hums, “Well, if you are absolutely sure, I’m certain we can find a place for her at Motostoke Gym. Perhaps I may even train her myself.”

“Thank you,” she says quietly, “Can I say goodbye to her first?”

“Of course. Take all the time you need.”

Kabu leaves and she lets Ninetales out of her Poké Ball, only for the majestic fox to rest her head in her lap. She tries to fight back the tears building in her eyes – she’s surprised she still has any left given that she’s parted with most of her other Pokémon already – but it still hurts, “I’m going to miss you, girl. But it’s for the best. You’ll be happy here. You’ll be able to battle lots and show everyone what you’re really made of.”

Ninetales lets out a sad whine.

* * *

Yamper doesn’t leave her. She couldn’t get rid of him even if she wanted to. It was hard enough to say goodbye to the rest of her friends, but Yamper was her first Pokémon and _he’d_ given him to her. It feels like the little pup is the only piece of Leon she’s got left now, and she just _can’t_ let that go.

So she won’t part with him for anything and it seems like Yamper feels the same.

She’s not angry with Leon any more. It requires too much energy to be angry with him.

He’s maintaining some form of contact with her again, but only by text and by sending gifts. He sends her a Yamper cap for Christmas and she scoffs because caps are _his_ thing, not hers. She still wears it though, at least a few times, because it helps her feel like she’s not been forgotten.

She sees him on telly sometimes and her heart flutters when she does. She’d honestly thought she’d have grown out of this silly crush, especially when it’s on her best friend (if she can even call him that any more) and someone who clearly doesn’t feel the same.

She decides it’s time to get herself a boyfriend to move past these stupid feelings of hers.

* * *

The boyfriend thing doesn’t work out.

Turns out the bloke she meets is a cheating piece of scum that gets his kicks from taking advantage of pretty young women, the more at once the better. It was a shame too as he was quite a sexy guy – not as sexy as Leon is but still enough that she wanted to try and make it work, if only to help her be rid of these new tingly feelings she gets when she sees her old friend.

But perhaps it was always doomed to fail even without him being a jerk. Heck, she had sex with him purely because he wanted to and not because _she_ wanted to. It had hurt and felt unpleasant and he never even gave her a cuddle afterwards, just got up, popped a cigarette in his mouth (her Gran found out about that and blamed her for it) and left without a word.

The next time she saw him he had a blonde woman on his arm, and he was kissing her neck.

So that was that.

* * *

She’s twenty-two when Leon finally pops up again into her life.

He arrives at the lab to see Gran and she just so happens to be helping her out that day because she has nothing better to do and she figures Gran could always use the help, especially given that she’s not as young as she used to be. Granddad jokingly calls her a professor’s assistant and she doesn’t deny it when it’s asked of her even if she doesn’t feel it’s deserved. She’s just helping her grandmother.

When he turns up he pauses almost hesitantly when he sees her there instead of her Gran. His cheeks are flushing but he seems to force a smile onto his face anyway and lifts his hand up in greeting, “Sonia! It’s been too long!”

She scowls at him, her chest filling with old anger that she hasn't felt for a while. _This_ is the greeting he’s giving after years of only the odd text and gifts for birthdays and Christmas? She feels like he should be falling to his knees grovelling. But she decides to be neutral, because Gran will be back soon from the shops and she doesn’t want there to be tension, “Hello.”

“How have you been?”

“Fine.”

He pauses, licking his lips, before his attention is caught by a little ball of yellow furry energy that charges right into him, “Hey, Yamper! How are you, little guy?”

Yamper licks his face enthusiastically, especially over his trimmed beard which she’s only now seeing for the first time in-person and not just on the telly. _Traitor,_ Sonia thinks as Yamper seems to revel in the attention.

“What do you want?” she asks and it must sound sharper than she’d intended it to be because he’s taken aback slightly.

“I… came to see your Gran. The chairman has been talking about some super powerful Pokémon that might have a link with dynamaxing and he asked if I would mind asking her if she knew anything about it.”

“Why couldn’t he have come down himself? Why ask you? Is Wedgehurst too low class for him?” she asks coldly, arms folded across her chest.

“Well, I assume it’s because he knows I know you both and he’s been quite busy lately, what with the new Gym Challenge season starting in a few months,” he runs his hands through his hair – it’s something he always used to do when he’s on the more nervous end of the spectrum of emotion and she’s almost relieved to see that some things haven’t changed.

She’s still mad though.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asks, taking a tentative step forward and placing a hand on her shoulder which makes her heart leap and she’s mentally cursing her body for it.

“What do you think?” she hisses, “You just… vanished on me! I would try and get in contact and you’d never reply! Just like the other kids did back home in Agate! I thought you were better than that, you _promised_ me you wouldn’t forget me!”

“I sent you gifts…” he murmurs, pulling back from her like she's slapped him.

“Yes, and thank you for those, I don’t want you to think they weren’t appreciated,” she says, trying to calm herself down, “But you were my best friend and then suddenly you weren’t there any more. Did you even think of me at all?”

“Of course I did!”

“Then why didn’t you try and contact me? Or even better, why not come and see me? I know you’ve been home to Postwick. I’ve run into your brother in Wedgehurst a few times and he says you’ve been visiting him.”

“I-”

“So why not come and see me? Am I not important enough to you or something? Are we not friends any more?”

He seems to shrinking in on himself and he looks guilty, “Yeah, we’re friends, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

He hesitates, before he says, “I don’t know why I didn’t come and see you. I just… forgot to, I guess?”

She’s astonished, and almost certain that he’s not being completely honest with her.

“Why? You’re my best friend… or you were, anyway,” she chews her lip before she carries on, “I think Nessa’s taken that position lately. Because even with how busy she gets she _still_ makes time to see me.”

He winces and she doesn’t feel brilliant about it, but it’s true and she's not going to hide it, “Son … it sounds stupid but… I don’t know if I can really say why I didn’t come and see you. But I know I should have done. I’ve _always_ known that I should have done. Heck, I _wanted_ to. But the more time passed, the harder it got for me to admit that I was wrong.”

She raises an eyebrow, “So you admit you’re wrong?”

“Yeah,” he lets out a sigh, “I missed you, Son. More than you know. Just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll try and make more of an effort from now on.”

She probably should still be angry with him but he’s looking at her with those pleading eyes again. She’d never been able to refuse those eyes. So she sighs at him instead, “You’d better.”

He lets out a sigh of relief and grins at her, “Thanks Son. I won’t let you down again, I swear. Anyway, about this super powerful Pokémon -”

* * *

He’s true to his word, visiting at least once a fortnight and it’s almost as if time hasn’t passed at all. It isn’t long before they’re teasing each other again and they’re chatting about each other’s lives.

The crush on him is still there, but she’s getting better at keeping it under control. He’s not aware of it and she doubts he ever will be. It sucks, but she’ll live with it. He’s probably still too busy for her anyway and he almost certainly deserves someone better – someone who knows what they want to do with their life.

Still, that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to enjoy every moment he’s there.

So when he arrives one day, with a young sixteen year old brunette girl in tow and he makes a remark about how magnificent the place looks (of course it does, she works damn hard to keep it clean), she smiles, taking a few moments just to _look_ at him and observe how he’s changed. Yamper scuttles up to him and it isn’t long before he’s indulging him with pets.

Well, there’s no point staying hidden upstairs. So smirking, she makes herself known.

“What is it today, Leon? Looking for info on another never-before-seen, super strong Pokémon? I wish you’d stop with these outlandish requests.”

And as he opens his mouth to say something, she can't help but think, _I'm home._

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone. This is something I wrote in my spare time as an accompanying piece to Changes. I hope it's come out alright.


End file.
